Kona Fire Rock Pale Ale

Kona Brewing Company calls this a “Hawaiian-style” pale ale rather than an American pale ale, the only differentiator being that Hawaiian style pale ales must display an active volcano on the label. This lava-filled terroir holds no influence over the beer itself. I don’t imagine that any of the ingredients grow anywhere near the island, but this is hardly an excuse to avoid drinking local. I imagine that hops are dropped in as part of a periodic resupply drop.

Pours copper with good lacing, not the most flowery of pale ales but strikes a fine balance between hops and malt. There’s not much complexity there, but who cares? Beer made on a tropical island is never close to this good.

I remember reading somewhere that by volume, Kona Brewing is in the top 20 microbrewers in the US – so I’m guessing that most of their beer is consumed off the island. The beer itself isn’t gimmicky, even if the packaging is.

Kona do also brew a porter with Kona coffee in it, which is 100% pure gimmick.